It also sounds to me that its ready to blow up.

Angie, It sounds like you are having some mechanical shifting trouble. I experience a little of the same on my '06 bike. Some shifts are smooth and positive while 4 to 5 is unreliable at times. It feels like it shifts two times instead of once. My biggest trouble is down shifting. Sometimes have to let the clutch out just a little to get things turning in the trans before the down shift will take place. I have experienced this fault in several bikes of various makes. Now back to the Mechanical problem. You should not have to hold pressure on the shift lever to make a positive shift. If this is required for a good shift, it means that something is wrong inside of your engine case in the shifter mechanism. A positive shift should only take pressure once as long as you do it hard enough to actually change gears...My factory trained motorcycle mechanic friend told me that the side cover could be removed and some fine sandpaper used to smooth the "something or what ever" to help with the shifting. My reccomendation would be to change to a quality synthetic motorcycle oil as mentioned by others in this thread. Then have an experienced rider ride your bike to give his/her opinion before opening the side cover. Remember that no sanding particles should be allowed to fall into the open side of the engine. This smoothing is sometimes done to certain motorcross bikes for easier shifting. Good luck with your quest. I have mine with my bike in another thread.....Dan

 It takes time to learn to shift smooth,If the rpms aren't right for the shift it will shift harder.

Angie wrote on 09/30/09 at 09:30:50:


I have a pair of hand shields I use. They are nylon over a closed cell foam and are held on by a velcro strap.  They wrap part way around each hand and keep the wind chill at bay.
you might try something like that.  Google hippo hands and look at them and other brands to see if anything trips your fancy.

Phelonius